Local Salvation Army officials are worried that the shorter holiday season and inclement weather will slow down donations to this year’s Red Kettle Campaign affecting budgeting over the next year.

“We’re losing donations because our red kettles can’t go out,” said spokesman Pat Patey said. “Thanksgiving being a week late this year, we lost a week, and this weather is kind of a one-two punch. We’ll lose today, and maybe tomorrow.”

Thanksgiving signifies the start for bell ringers to stand by the red kettles in about 400 locations across Dallas-Fort Worth area to collect donations from passersby around malls and shopping centers. Last year’s red kettles brought in $2.3 million for programming at the 15 area Salvation Army locations.

It’s only a drop in the bucket when compared to the total of more than $50 million in income the agency receives. That income comes from United Way, major donor contributions, government grants and thrift store profits.

“But, think about all that $2.3 million going to to services we offer,” Patey said.
“It’s our largest public fundraiser of the year. Parents teach their children to give during this time. It’s one of those things that doesn’t take a lot of money to participate and people from all walks of life can donate.”

Donations vary in different locations, but one location at North Park Center on a Monday can see close to $500. Others get much busier the week before Christmas. The money doesn’t just fund services during the holidays. It helps the Salvation Army run all year.

Patey said he hopes the public recognizes the needs in their communities — homelessness, hunger, substance abuse — and is moved to do something about it.

“We do want to encourage people to give,” he said. “Whether they put a dime in or a dollar it’s a way to make a difference. People will read about the community problems and think well how much good can my dollar do. When that person’s dollar is put with a lot of other people’s dollars, it can do a lot of good.”

The display at the North Texas Food Bank shows what a donation of $50 and $100 can buy. Every $1 donated feeds three people. (Christina Rosales/Staff)

With families experiencing cuts to SNAP benefits, the North Texas Food Bank is expecting to have to supply 20 percent more food to keep up with the demand. The agency is asking for help in raising $7 million by the end of the year.

The food bank raises 40 percent of its annual funds between November and December, so the call for help is particularly important, said Jan Pruitt, president and chief executive of the food bank.

“The money raised now helps feed North Texans all year long,” she said. She added that the agency could use more weekday volunteers to help sort, pack and distribute food.

Former Dallas Cowboy Chad Hennings requests the community's help in feeding the needy.

The food bank enlisted former Dallas Cowboy Chad Hennings to spread the word Thursday morning at the agency’s distribution center. Having one in four North Texas children at risk of going hungry is unacceptable, he said, and it’s the community’s job to help alleviate the problem.

“You gotta help your own backyard,” Hennings said. “If you’re not going to take care of your own backyard, you’re not going to impact the rest of the world.”

Mounds of donated food, water and goods fill the West Rodeo Grounds pavilion on Friday as volunteers try to sort through it all in West.

The outpouring of support for residents affected by the fertilizer plant explosion in West has been nothing short of amazing. Donated goods have been pouring in from all over.

But the Central Texas Red Cross chapter has said that the city of West has received so much stuff that it is asking that further donations be put on hold for now.

The chapter, which is in Waco, said on its Facebook page today: “With deep respect and appreciation for your generous spirit, we invite you to consider the following points before beginning a collection drive for disaster relief.” The post includes a link to a page on the main Red Cross site explaining that individual donations of “food, used clothing, and shoes often must be cleaned, sorted, and repackaged, which impedes the valuable resources of money, time, and personnel that are needed for other aspects of our relief operation.”

- The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has established a fund for monetary donations for the survivors and coworkers of the fire and EMS personnel who died in the line of duty. Mail checks to NFFF c/o West, Texas Fire and EMS Fallen Hero Fund, P.O. Drawer 498, Emmitsburg, Maryland, 21727. They also will facilitate messages to donate apparatus, equipment and turn-out gear. Send a message through firehero.org/contact.

A victims’ fund has been set up at Pointwest Bank. Checks can be mailed to the bank at 200 W. Oak, West, 76691 or P.O. Box 279, West, 76691. Call 254-826-5333 for more information.

Brazos Valley Media Giving Back is accepting donations at Bank and Trust locations. Make the check to “BV Media Giving Back” with “West plant explosion” in the memo line.

The Salvation Army is at Harry Hines and Inwood, just across the street from UT Southwestern and Parkland hospital.

Update:

It turns out the mystery substance that sickened folks at the Salvation Army was insecticide.

What a thoughtful donor to bequeath their jar of methanol.

Original entry:

Five people have been hospitalized this morning after being exposed to a broken jar of an unknown liquid in a donation box at the Salvation Army warehouse on Harry Hines Boulevard.

According to Pat Patey, spokesman for the Salvation Army, donations were being sorted this morning at the warehouse. A volunteer had been carrying a box of items when the bottom of the box tore and a jar of liquid fell out and broke.

“The fumes from the liquid made a few people nauseated,” Patey said. “Five were taken to the hospital.”

Dallas Fire-Rescue evacuated the warehouse and are currently investigating, Patey said.

Drake Cobb, 14, and Syrrena Sanderson, 13, were killed when Sanderson’s boyfriend, Willis George veered into oncoming traffic on U.S. 60 in Oklahoma. Sanderson’s 7-year-old daughter Maryssa survived with two broken legs. She is in serious but stable condition.

The driver of the other vehicle survived but his passenger, a young woman from Oklahoma, was also pronounced dead at the scene.

The family was about 45 minutes from their new home. They were moving from Garland to Missouri. Sanderson had been following behind in a rented moving truck with two of her other children and saw the accident.

“I saw it all happen,” she said. “I jumped out of the truck and ran to the car. I knew they were all gone. I knew.”

If you want to help the family with medical and funeral expenses, a fund has been set up for donations. You can go to any Chase Bank to deposit money into the following account:

Today’s the deadline for donors to submit gifts to the Salvation Army’s Tree of Angels campaign.

About 54,000 Angels across Dallas-Fort Worth have been “adopted” through the program since Nov. 11, and just over 6,700 donations (or 12 percent) have yet to be returned, said Pat Patey, spokesman for the local Salvation Army.

So now it’s “crunch time,” he said: “People have been great, they’ve come out overwhelmingly … but if these [gifts] don’t get returned, we’re kind of stuck.”

Most of those who receive gifts are children, but disabled adults and the elderly also take part.

Donors would ideally return donations to the mall where they adopted their Angels, but they can be dropped off at any of 10 malls (see list after the jump).

Patey said anyone who misses today’s 9 p.m. deadline has one last recourse: Gifts can be dropped off at the nonprofit’s distribution center at 9216 Harry Hines Blvd. in Dallas.Continue reading →